Archive for the ‘anxiety’ Category

Sometimes….well …. EVERY TIME Nancy Pelosi opens her mouth I start to worry….where will all the money come from and what will she suggest next….

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Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) moves since the November elections have shaken up some of her colleagues, with some looking over their shoulders and others worried about how the Speaker will lead her expanded majority in 2009.

Next year is regarded as the biggest legislative opportunity for Democrats since 1993, the last time they controlled the White House and both chambers of Congress.

By Mike Soraghan
The Hill

But not all Democrats are celebrating. Liberals are worried about Pelosi’s vow to govern “from the middle” and centrists are concerned that the make-up of the House leadership team has shifted noticeably to the left.

Contrary to the jubilation of House Democrats after they regained control of the lower chamber after the 2006 elections, there is some unease among members heading into the 111th Congress.

“Everybody I talk to, everybody’s worried about something,” said a Democratic staffer.

Speaker of the House Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) gestures during a news conference on the financial restructuring plans submitted by U.S. automakers on Capitol Hill in Washington December 2, 2008.REUTERS/Yuri Gripas (UNITED STATES)

Pelosi’s effort to make some Democrats anxious could be a calculated maneuver as she seeks to maximize the effectiveness of her caucus heading into 2009. Pelosi’s hard-charging tone and decisions over the past month have sent a message to her colleagues: Don’t get too comfortable.

The seniority system that tempers the power of the Speaker is teetering, having received a body blow from Rep. Henry Waxman’s (D-Calif.) coup at the Energy and Commerce Committee.

When chairmen aren’t flinching at the possibility of a challenge from a junior member, they can look forward to being bounced by term limits in four years. That’s a change that Pelosi quietly endorsed in the 2007 House rules package.

Pelosi Wants Another $700 Billion Or So In Bailour Money; Wants Also To “Make Well” Car Companies

Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today on the Labor Department’s announcement that the number of Americans continuing to receive unemployment benefits last week topped 4 million, the highest level in nearly 26 years.

“Despite the high level of continuing unemployment, the Bush Administration and Senate Republicans are still opposed to legislation the House passed in September that would create jobs and address urgent nutrition and health needs for those hurt by the recession.

“America needs bipartisan action now to get our economy back on track. Our House-passed legislation would begin the process of economic recovery by investing in job-creating infrastructure projects and helping struggling Americans with emergency food assistance and prevent deep cuts in health care and essential services. At a minimum, President Bush should support providing emergency food assistance and aid to states to maintain health care coverage for millions of Americans this holiday season.

“I again call on President Bush and Senate Republicans to work with us and get our economy moving again.”